Note: This story has been updated since it was originally posted Friday evening. Late Friday, North Dakota’s governor, Jack Dalrymple, declared that a state of emergency existed in south-central North Dakota, due to a large gathering, in temporary campgrounds, of opponents of the placement of the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River on the edge of the Standing Rock …
About 20 years ago, I was teaching a Television Editing class at the then Brown Institute. The focus of the class was to help students learn how to use video cameras, edit tape and put together short commercials or news stories. One of the challenges was to identify newsmakers and line them up for interviews. As the years progressed, our …
Almost buried by the national media, and under-reported in the local media, is the story of a people savaged by our European ancestors and by settlers in North Dakota. I’m sure many of you, like me, attended the old cowboy and Indian movies, where in most cases the Indian “savages” were destroyed just in time by the Cavalry or white settlers …
We give up. After 30 years spent trying to thwart bushy-tailed tree rats, we accept that squirrels are the master race. All hail! They’ve beaten us. They’ve foiled every attempt to preserve our backyard snacks for our wild bird buddies. The wily tree-leaping rodents have out-thought, outfought, outpersisted and outsmarted these humans who stock groceries on the deck. True squirrel …
Beef Stroganoff has become an extremely popular dish ever since it originated in 19th century Russia. In fact, there are probably as many variations of the dish as there are cultures in the world. For example, in Brazil, host of the 2016 Summer Olympics, it is known as estrogonofe, and chicken or shrimp sometimesis substituted for beef. The Swedes make a variation — korv-stroganoff — that …
I came across these photos thanks to my friends at the “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” Archive. They are from Fred’s senior yearbook, 1945-46, Latrobe (Pa.) High School. Fred was the yearbook editor. Even then you could see the light in him. One of the photograph is of Jim Stumbaugh. Those who have read the book might remember Jim’s significance to Fred’s story. Fred …
“I never thought I’d sing in Devils Lake,” third-generation gospel singer Mark Blackwood said Monday night, “but here we are.” And a near perfect night it was. The rain held off, the temperature was perfect, and there wasn’t a mosquito in sight at Roosevelt Park. This will certainly date me, but I first heard the Blackwood Quartet at a little county fair …
Cape Cod, Mass., is a popular vacation destination during the summer months for people up and down the East Coast. Extending into the Atlantic Ocean and stretching from Provincetown in the northeast to Woods Hole in the southwest, Cape Cod is separated from the mainland by the Cape Cod Canal. Alexandria, Va., photographer recently spent some time on the Cape with his …
Here’s how Darrell Dorgan described the events on North Dakota Highway 1806 south of Mandan this afternoon: “One hundred and forty years ago, the Sioux took down Custer and the 7th Cavalry. Today, the Sioux took down the North Dakota Highway Patrol. But this time, the Highway Patrol was smart enough to get the hell out of there before anybody got killed. …
It’s time for the GOP, both nationally and in North Dakota, to invest in some funding and common sense so that they can get their elevator out of the basement in a 10-story building. Der Fuhrer Trump once again showed his detachment from common sense when he released the names and photos of his nine financial advisers. All of them …
To steal a title from an old Ray Charles’ song, “night time is the right time” for Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons. That’s evidenced here by the images he captured recently over the course of a few nights on the North Dakota prairie. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
Rereading I’m Proud of You: My Friendship With Fred Rogers, on the 10th anniversary of its publication. Favorites from Chapter One “Your wounded heart is a very beautiful heart,” Fred wrote to me during a time of great struggle. “In fact, it has probably allowed you to understand the hearts of all others who are wounded. And whose isn’t in …
I ran across this photo the other day of James F. Penwarden, my friend and former colleague at the University of North Dakota. He died Jan. 21, 2012. Jim is pictured above in the old days, when neither of us had yet heard of a desktop computer. Editing typewritten copy was done the old-fashioned way, with a pencil or pen. I’ve …
Lighthouse have been around for a few thousand years, guiding mariners at sea and inland waterways, marking dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals and reefs, providing safe entries to harbors. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and use of electronic navigational systems. Several are still being used on the Great Lakes. Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert and his …
(This was written the evening of Aug. 6.) Leaving Oman is hard. It was hard four years ago. It was hard last year. It’s hard tonight. My seven students feel the same way. They’ve said it. I can see it on their faces, too. Yes, I’m sure they’re eager to get home. But I also know they have come to …
Call me old fashioned, but I have difficulty warming up to new novelists. But I’m trying — Dorette and I have signed up to the Hennepin County Library’s annual “Pen Pals” lecture program. On tap for this season: Anna Quindlen, Billy Collins, Lee Child, Elizabeth Strout and James McBride. I know nothing about any of them. Not that I don’t …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert and his wife, Mary, recently returned from a trip to the Great Lakes area. Among their stops was Mackinac Island, which covers 3.8 square miles in land area in the state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Photographers are always looking for a new angle. Jared Eischen found his last winter when he acquired his drone. “I’ve always been kind of interested in remote-control flying,” he says. “When I found out you could put a camera on this thing and send it into the sky — it was so cool. I had to have one.” Today Jared, …
It is done! Last week, I gave my unsolicited opinions on the clown show that was the Republican convention. I promised to do the same after the Democrats met. I have to admit: It was more than I anticipated. The Democrats, whether you like it or not, were organized, prompt, factual, entertaining, efficient and “told the truth.” Now, for all …
Many people will tell you that dill pickle recipes are a dime a dozen. Just ask anyone who’s purchased a quart of pickles — sometimes at a cost of up to $10 a jar — at a bazaar or food festival, only to discover they’re no better than the ones they can buy at the supermarkets. I’ve canned my share of dill pickles over the years, using …
I’ve just returned with my daughter, Kristi, from a sentimental journey to Ketchum, Idaho. A goal — not the primary one since breathing mountain air and photographing the magnificent scenery were paramount for both of us — was for me to pay my respects at the writer Ernest Hemingway’s grave. Like many readers my age, I’ve been fascinated by Hemingway’s …
Last week was pleasant here in Muscat, the capital city of Oman. The temperature was in the high 80s to low 90s, and the heat index was barely above 100. Maybe 105, but not much more than that. In July, that’s heaven in Muscat. When I talk about the heat in Muscat, people say it’s a dry heat, though, right? …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert and his wife, Mary, recently returned from a trip to the Great Lakes area. Here is a sampling of the images he took. Look for more in days to come.
“I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers,” was first published 10 years ago this August. These seem like good days to reread it — for the first time. Also, there have been some significant challenges this year for the people I love, and for me, and, frankly, I just want to see him again and hear his voice. …
From eastern North Dakota to western North Dakota, here are some of the images photographer Dave Bruner discovered this past month.
We left for the mountain about 20 minutes late. Last-minute dashes for extra bottles of water put us behind schedule. We were headed for Jebel Shams, Mountain of the Sun, in Oman’s interior, next to the desert. We piled into two SUVs at 6:20 a.m. and started the heart-stopping climb up a winding dirt road, to the trailhead in a …
Check out what’s caught the eye this past month of Dave Vorland, Bloomington, Minn., photographer and former Grand Forks resident.
On a couple of recent beautiful days in the Red River Valley, Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons and his wife, Paulette, decided to take a ride out to the countryside to check out some sunflower fields, and this is what they saw. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
Now that the Republican and Democratic national conventions have ended, expect to see even more politics on Facebook. For example, your otherwise reasonable friends may begin to post comments about your favored candidate that get on your nerves. One solution is to “de-friend” the offender, which should be a last resort because you may lose that friend in real life …
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons spent some time in the North Dakota Badlands recently and captured these spectacular images of the acclaimed Medora Musical. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
Back when it began, email was a harmless new toy. In the era when we baby boomers first went online — at the dawn of time or, at least, in those now-quaint 1990s — we took to our AOL and Yahoo mail accounts like proverbial fuzzy little ducks to water. It seemed so unthreatening … just an easy, novel way …
Robert F. Kennedy once said, “All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.” I don’t have the date he made that statement, but it certainly does ring true today, in view of all recent …
This picture above, taken of me years ago with my boss and mentor, the late Thomas J. Clifford, then president of the University of North Dakota, surfaced recently from deep within my personal archives. I share with my favorite writer Ernest Hemingway the quality of being a “pack rat.” Hemingway apparently saved everything — manuscripts, of course, including early drafts …
When Elaine and I left Oman just over four years ago after 9½ months teaching at Sultan Qaboos University, we cried. We left with 10 bags of clothes and souvenirs, accumulated from friends, students and our own purchases, and struggled to get the new checked, paid for and off our hands. We walked through the process of turning in our residence …
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons made a quick weekend trip to Medora join western North Dakota last weekend and here are a few photos he took of the wildlife and scenery. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
I love old school technique in cookery. We as humans have come a long way from fire. Imagine the lessons learned along the way. Those lessons that later have become techniques — or rules — in cookery. Why are the rules of a proper sauté important to follow? Hot pan, little oil/fat, ingredients cut very fine for fast finishing. You simply cannot …
There aren’t many vegetables that get a bad rap. But zucchini is one of them that does. I once read somewhere that zucchini is the Rodney Dangerfield of vegetables. It doesn’t get any respect. One of the reasons given by people who don’t like zucchini is just that, it keeps on giving. Usually it’s gardeners who let their zucchini get out …
Granted, I may be the exact opposite of fashion-forward. But wouldn’t you think even a fashion-backward type would have noticed (without her daughter’s coaching) that pantyhose had gone away a few decades ago? Nope. When the moment came to don a dress for perhaps the second time in the past 25 years, I’d soon discover that 1) bare legs long …
Donald Trump, the media talking heads and the media in general have their collective heads up their behinds. While this might seem a little harsh, I can’t use the language I would like to use. Lawrence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC have done their homework. Here’s what I’m talking about. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, aka “the notorious RBG,” expressed …
I started to cry as I slowly peeled away the restrictive layer of clothing that is my binder, realizing this was the last day I would ever have to wear it again. What a strange mix of elation and contemplation. I instantly recalled all the times I came home from something, immediately stripping away and relishing in the relief of …
Driving in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks proved to be a little hazardous early Tuesday night, as a fast-moving storm with high winds flooded city streets in less than an hour. Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons captured these spectacular images in Grand Forks. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
The community of Walhalla, N.D., hosted the Fifth Annual Frank White (Class of 1988) Golf Tournament and Fundraiser on Saturday on the Walhalla Country Club golf course located along the Pembina Gorge. The event was record-setting in terms of participants, sponsors, volunteers and donated gifts. The annual event has help raise thousands of dollars to create endowed scholarships at UND, Mayville State University and Lake …
One of America’s top 10 phobias, some experts say, is going to the dentist — a prospect only slightly less attractive than pumping the septic tank or cleaning the oven. For a good share of Minnesota’s and North Dakota’s most vulnerable, though, it’s a long-awaited blessing. Two thousand of them, young and old, will be waiting in line when the sun …
A big thank-you to the organizers of this year’s Reynolds Rib O’Rama, Reynolds (N.D.) Community Betterment, for inviting me to be one of their six judges. I’ve judged chili, pie, ugly dog contests and more but never a rib contest. (To be clear, the ugly dog contests were not cooking events.) Reynolds’ beautiful city park was filled with cooking teams and …